10 tips on how to spot fake news

Fact or fiction: the best way to spot fake news is to be alert and attentiveCredit:
Getty

6 March 2019 • 4:21pm

10 expert tips for spotting what’s true and what’s fake when it comes to news online

Fake content has become a daily reality of life online, with hundreds of sites creating false or distorted stories for political or personal gain.

Technology giants such as Facebook and Google are trying to limit the spread of fake news. Fact-checking content and deranking disreputable offenders has helped lead to an estimated drop of 50 per cent in engagement with fake news stories on Facebook since 2016, according to a recent research paper from Stanford University. While Google is launching a three-point strategy to “remove, reduce and inform”, regarding accounts that violate the company’s community standards and policies.

Nevertheless, in spite of the efforts of big tech companies, some fake stories fall through the cracks. The expert advice is that it's always useful for people to be attentive, to have a critical eye and to look out for false or misleading stories. There are several telltale signs to look for, according to fake news experts Will Moy, director of British fact-checking charity Full Fact, and Cambridge University researcher Sander van der Linden, who produced an online game to help people detect fake news. Here are some of their tips.

1 Beware of stories that don’t make sense

Moy says that one of the key signs of fake news is that the stories are highly improbable.

During last year’s Hurricane Irma, a hugely popular viral story claimed that it was a Category Six hurricane, and would “wipe cities off the map”. Category Six hurricanes do not exist.

Blown out of proportion: Hurricane Irma was at the centre of a fake news story in 2017Credit:
Getty

Moy said: “Extraordinary claims need extraordinary evidence. If somebody says Elvis is alive, ask for a song before you believe it.”

2 Check the name of the news site that published it

The names of sites publishing news stories are often a hint that stories may be fake.

“Be a little more careful of websites that you haven't heard of before,” says Moy.

Fact or fiction: stories have been published suggesting that the flu vaccine causes the fluCredit:
Getty

Unfamiliar sites built to sound like news organisations are behind many fake news stories.

One of the more popular publishers of fake news, YourNewsWire, for instance, has published stories suggesting that the flu vaccine actually causes the flu and that Hitler faked his suicide and escaped. When The Denver Guardian made claims about Hillary Clinton’s emails, there was one small problem – there is no such paper as The Denver Guardian. It just sounds real when it is completely fake.

3 Beware faked website addresses

Some sites may try to impersonate real news outlets with URLs which seem similar but have slight differences. For instance one fake news site impersonated ABC news, but with a URL which read ABC.com.co, rather than abcnews.go.com.

4 Look out for headlines which don’t match the story

“Make sure the headline and the story match up,” says Moy. False news sites often have headlines in all-capitals that capture the attention with highly emotional claims – which don’t match the copy that follows if you actually click to the news site.

5 Check the date

“Look out for suspicious dates,” says Moy. False news stories often include timelines which make no sense, or contain the wrong dates for established events. For instance, images purporting to be of a 2016 terror attack in Brussels were actually from a 2011 attack on Moscow’s Domodedovo Airport.

6 Look for unusual spellings and mistakes

Often, the sign that news is fake is that it is of low quality, with spelling errors and an over-use of capitals. Real news sources will employ editors to remove these errors and ensure accuracy.

7 Be wary of headlines which are trying to provoke anger

A headline posted this summer by an American fake news site claimed that Obama was “holding meetings to overtake the White House”.

Headlines that seek to provoke anger are a sign of fake news, Sander van der Linden says. The Cambridge researcher adds: “It doesn’t matter what side you’re on, the purpose of fake news is often to drive two groups apart and fuel prejudice and intergroup conflict.”

8 Look out for hoaxes spread by fake celebrity accounts

Sometimes stories can spread online after being shared by a fake celebrity, a social media account designed to impersonate a real person, says Sander van der Linden.

Van der Linden says: “Impersonation is a major technique in fake news. Think about the fake tweets that were supposedly sent out by billionaire Warren Buffett. Someone was impersonating him, and millions of people did not notice that the Twitter handle read Warren Buffet while his real name is Warren Buffett.”

9 Google-search the images

Fake news sites will often use criminal mugshots from unrelated stories, for instance, or doctored images. Google-search the images to check for their veracity against other legitimate news sites and to see where they came from.

Many viral hoax stories will use deliberately disturbing or graphic imagery in an attempt to hook in readers, Sander van der Linden says. “Emotional content is more likely to go viral. Think about viral hoaxes with emotionally disturbing images about the effects of a fake disease.”

10 If you’re unsure, double check with a source you trust

Fake news stories will often appear on just one site, so if you’re unsure, double check via a news source you know and trust, says Moy of Full Fact. “When it matters, double check. Particularly when it comes to health or other life decisions, always use a trusted source.”

Being human in the information age

Fake news, cyberbullying, artificial intelligence – it seems like life in the internet age can be a scary place. That’s why Telegraph Spark and Facebook have teamed up to show how Facebook and other social media platforms are harnessing the power of the internet to protect your personal data.